There were many great leaders and pharaohs throughout Egypt. All were men . . . except Queen Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was born into the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Her father was Thutmose I and her mother Ahmes. As a child her father died and her half-brother, Thutmose II, ascended to the throne and became pharaoh. Hatshepsut married Thutmose II and had two children: her daughter, Neferura, and her step-son, Thutmose III, born from another wife of Thutmose II. Thutmose II died and Thutmose III became pharaoh of Egypt. Since the pharaoh was so young, Hatshepsut became his regent. They ruled together until Hatshepsut declared herself pharaoh. This came quite as a shock. Egyptian women had rights like men but there had only been female queens. There had never been such a thing as a female pharaoh.
Hatshepsut wanted to appear "god-like" to the Egyptian people. She told her people that the god, Amen-Ra, had visited her mother while Hatshepsut was in her womb at the temple in Deir el-Bahri in the Valley of the Kings. Unlike most women at that time, Hatshepsut wore a false beard, wore men's clothing, and was depicted in her statues as pharaoh. This was to prove to the priests she was worthy enough to be pharaoh of Egypt. It seemed to have worked.
The great temple, Deir el-Bahri, in the Valley of the Kings was said to have been constructed by Thutmose II and finished by Hatshepsut. It remains as one of the most famous temples in Egypt today.
Hatshepsut ruled for 15 years before Thutmose III took over the throne. Hatshepsut died shortly after and it is rumored that Thutmose III erased her from history. He destroyed her statues, scratched her name from walls, or replaced his face on her statues.
Hatshepsut was actually discovered by Howard Carter in 1903! The same man who discovered King Tutankhamen in 1922! But Howard Carter did not know it was Hatshepsut. The mummy was sent to the Egypt museum in Cairo, Egypt and was left there peacefully for many decades. Her mummy was discovered in the third floor in the Egypt museum. The mummy was confirmed it was Hatshepsut on March 23, 2006. Hatshepsut was said to have died of a dislodged tooth. She had some kind of tooth disease.
Hatshepsut was a great ruler of Egypt. The only mystery is: who would want to erase this woman from history?
msof57
Author's Note: Sources: http://www.bediz.com/hatshep/story.html and http://touregypt.net/historicalessays/hatshepsut.htm
